Pence's office says VP visit to Israel remains in plans

JERUSALEM (AP) - Mike Pence's office on Monday said the U.S. vice president still plans on visiting Israel this month, despite an apparent delay in the schedule.

Pence had been scheduled to come during the week of Jan. 14. But Israel's Foreign Ministry said Monday that the visit was no longer on its schedule for January.

Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon gave no reason for the apparent delay, but said it was still possible that Pence could still decide to come. "It's not on our schedule," he said. "We can always adapt it and change it."

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 file photo, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks to troops in a hangar at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Israel's Foreign Ministry said Monday Jan. 1, 2018 that an expected visit by Pence has been postponed again. Pence was scheduled to visit Israel in December 2017. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP, File)

Later Monday, Pence's deputy chief of staff, Jarrod Agen, said the visit was still on. "As we said, we are going later this month," he said, without providing specific dates. Agen also said that Pence is still planning to go to Egypt.

Pence had been scheduled to visit Israel last month but called off the trip at late notice and said he would come instead in January.

The official reason for the delay was the Senate tax vote. But it also followed region-wide uproar over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The Palestinians, who seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, canceled a planned pre-Christmas meeting with Pence in the biblical town of Bethlehem to protest Trump's decision.

Leading Muslim and Christian clerics in neighboring Egypt also said they would refuse to meet with Pence during a planned stop in Cairo.

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 file photo, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks to reporters in a hangar at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Israel's Foreign Ministry said Monday Jan. 1, 2018 that an expected visit by Pence has been postponed again. Pence was scheduled to visit Israel in December 2017. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP, File)